Playing pieces or discs known as POGs.TM. originated in Hawaii in the 1920's as waxed or plasticized thin cardboard or paper caps or covers, used to seal the tops of glass beverage containers. These caps originally used to seal bottles containing a mixture of tropical fruit juices, comprising passionfruit, orange, and guava juices. The first letters (P, O, G) of the fruit juices were printed on the caps, which came to be known by the resulting acronym, "POG."
Children soon discovered that the caps could be used as playing pieces to play a relatively simple known as POGs.TM. game, bearing a slight resemblance to a combination of the games of marbles and tiddly winks. In the game, the playing piece are stacked face up, and another playing piece (developed as a heavier type of playing pieces or disc) is thrown at the a stack of discs or playing pieces to cause the playing pieces or discs of the stack to scatter, in an attempt to cause at least some of the discs to flip over or invert. The player causing the playing pieces or discs to flip over, is generally allowed to keep those discs as winnings, at least for the course of the game. Numerous variations are known, including scoring according to different numerical values printed on the backs of the playing pieces or discs and exposed when they are flipped over, etc.
The game has been popular in Hawaii at various times since the 1920s, and in fact has resulted in the manufacture of-myriads of specially formed and printed discs for collectors and players of the game. Some of the originally manufactured playing pieces or discs and some relatively rare specially printed playing pieces or discs are considered to be worth a fairly substantial sum by collectors and devotees of the game and collecting hobby.
Nevertheless, even though the game has been extremely popular at various times, it has traditionally been played upon any convenient surface, with no formalized playing board or area used. Table tops, floors, sidewalks, paved parking lots, dirt paths or fields, etc., have all been used to play this game. With the following, the game has developed, many players have developed relatively high skills in the throwing of the heavier playing piece or disc known as the "kini," "hitter," or "slammer" disc. It will be readily seen that the variety of surfaces generally used in the play of the game, will result in inconsistent scoring, even by experts at the game.
Accordingly, the need arises for a a game frame which provides for a uniform playing surface, as well as providing for the storage game pieces used in the play of the game and won during the course of play. Storage of "slammer" discs may also be provided. Plural separate storage areas for the playing pieces of different players should be an integral part of the game frame, and preferably the playing surface used to "slam" the player piece stack is interchangeable, to provide different characteristics and degrees of difficulty in achieving the desired player piece inversion rate, as desired by the players. Finally, the game frame should be relatively inexpensive to manufacture and therefore to purchase, in keeping with the simple and basic spirit of the game.